Releasing His Hold
by dolphinsramazing
Summary: Songfic- Crystal Shawanda's You Can Let Go. Majority of Brennan and Max father/daughter,some BB, slight Hodgela. Warning: Character Death. Not sure about the rating- just playing safe.


**Disclaimer: I don't own Bones or anything affiliated, but I sure wish I did!**

**AN: I've never written anything with Max in it, but I heard this song and a one-shot just begged to be written. Also, I'm Catholic, and I used a very slight bit of my beliefs in this. Just to let you know, this is a future fic. **

**Warning: Character Death**

**~Dolphinsramazing~**

She was Dr. Temperance Brennan. She could identify victims that had endured unimaginable horrors, ascertain their cause of death. She could save the perpetrator's next victim by finding the killer. She could pull the trigger on someone who was endangering her or her partner's lives. She could try to shield her baby girl from the horrors of the world. But she couldn't stop what was killing her own father, the man she had looked up to, and loved so much it hurt. All she could do was sit and watch as death's dark hands gripped him and pulled him away from her forever.

Yes, her father (and mother, for that matter) had betrayed her and left her, and she had spent many a night wishing them gone for the anguish and pain they had inadvertently inflicted upon her. But when her father came back into her life, there was this leap in her chest, this unadulterated joy that she kept under careful wraps. The first time she recognized him after all his plastic surgery, she had forgiven him. After all, it was what families did, and she knew that he was sorry, that his declaration that he had only meant to protect her was entirely true. The steady beeping of the monitors in the background lulled her into a pensive state, and she began to recall the part her father had played in her life.

_Wind blowing on my face_

_Sidewalk flying beneath my bike_

_A five year olds first taste_

_Of what freedom's really like_

_He was running right beside me_

_His hand holding on the seat_

_I took a deep breath and hollered_

_As I headed for the street_

She had attended her first day at the local kindergarten a few weeks before, and she was disheartened to know that almost all of her class was able to ride a bike, except for her. Even at the ripe young age of five, she had a drive and determination that allowed her to persevere in the hardest of scenarios. Of course, she didn't have quite that many problems, and the ones she did have were easily solvable. But Temperance wanted to be like the other kids, and so she asked her mommy and daddy to buy her a bike. She was a little bit spoiled, and so they indulged her wish with a sparkly pink bicycle- a five year old girl's dream. The second they unloaded the bike out of the back of the truck, she begged her daddy, lips pursed and eyelashes fluttering, to teach her how to ride.

Max could never say no to his little girl, and so he put the helmet and kneepads on her, attached the training wheels to the back of the bike, and placed her on the seat. She instinctually grabbed the bars for balance, and her daddy held her steady. The bike's small frame shook as she rocked side to side, unable to find her center of balance. She toppled to one side, and fell off. Max rushed right to her side, seeing if she was injured. Thankfully, the pads had taken the brunt of the injury, and she seemed unharmed. Determined to learn, she got right back on the bike again. She began to pedal more confidently this time, going so fast that Max couldn't keep up with her. He was sprinting at top speed, but his hands flew off her sides and he reached to grab her again. She continued on, now pedaling slowly and steadily, willing herself not to fall. She was a big girl now. Max stayed right at her side, there just in case she needed him, ready for the slightest sign that she was having any sort of trouble. After a few more feet she screamed "You can let go, Daddy", and she sped up, her little legs going as fast as they could, her brow furrowed in concentration. She veered off the sidewalk, and Max's mouth flew open. She was going to fall.

_"You can let go now daddy_

_You can let go_

_Oh I think I'm ready to do this on my own_

_It's still a little bit scary_

_But I want you to know_

_I'll be okay now daddy_

_You can let go"_

Instead, the bike landed gracefully on the newly paved street, the wheels gliding smoothly along the pavement. Temperance's auburn hair was flowing freely in thehi wind behind her, and the ribbon tied to her bike was in danger of falling off. She beeped the horn happily, and continued riding. He tried to chase her for a while, but soon gave up his futile pursuit. When she was almost out of sight, she turned around and came back home, jumping off the bike into her proud daddy's arms.

_I was standing at the altar_

_Between the two loves of my life_

_To one I've been a daughter_

_To one I soon would be a wife_

_When the preacher asked_

_"Who gives this woman?"_

_Daddy's eyes filled up with tears_

_He kept holding tightly to my arm_

_'Til I whispered in his ear:_

Temperance never thought she would be here, getting married, in a _church._ What she had foreseen, however, was the identity of the man waiting for her to join him at the altar. She had fallen in love with him five years before, and two years ago she had summoned up the courage to tell him her feelings. He had obviously reciprocated, and things had progressed from there. Six months ago, he had made a special date to a fancy restaurant and on his knee, with the diamond ring, traditional style, had proposed to her. All those preconceived notions about marriage being an archaic notion, that it was the last refuge of women who couldn't financially support themselves, were thrown out the window. She laughed at the obvious fear in his eyes, said "Yes" and threw her arms around his neck, pulling him into a deep kiss.

She fiddled with her engagement ring, the blue topaz dolphin complementing the teardrop diamond in the middle. It must have cost Booth a lot of money, but when she had asked him, he had deflected, saying it didn't matter, she deserved it.

Her hair was straight and in a chignon on the top of her head. She had refused to wear a veil, despite Booth's adamant protests, but her strapless lace ivory gown fit her perfectly. In her hair was a blue comb to match her ring. Max had given it to her before she had gotten dressed whispering in her ear "your mother would want you to have it". This brought tears to her eyes, and she thanked her father quietly. How fitting it was to have her mother be represented at her wedding, even though she couldn't be there physically. Angela was her maid of honor, and had helped her prepare herself, adding the "borrowed" element of the old rhyme. Something old- her mother's dress, which had fit her like a glove- check. Something new- her beautiful (and expensive) necklace- check. Something borrowed- Angela's earrings-check. Something blue- her mother's topaz comb-check. She had never thought she would even care about something as frivolous as this, but she wanted this day to be perfect.

Angela put the final touches of mascara to accent her cerulean eyes, and pronounced her finished. Temperance looked in the full-length mirror, and in an uncharacteristic gesture, hugged her friend tightly. Angela had transformed her into a fairy-tale princess.

She wiped her eye, trying to erase the tears without ruining her makeup, and joined her patiently waiting father. He looked dashing in a rented tuxedo, despite the fact that his hair was now entirely gray. He had been elated when Booth had proposed to her- he possessed a deep respect for the man, and most of all was happy for his daughter. "You look beautiful, Tempe", he told her honestly, admiring his gorgeous daughter, all grown up.

They didn't want a flower girl or a ring bearer, but Booth's best man was Jared, and Hodgins and Russ were also in his party. Aside from Angela, Temperance had Cam and Amy as bridesmaids. Parker had begged not to be in the wedding party, and they had grudgingly obliged his wish.

The sound of "Here Comes the Bride" began to ring out from the organ, and she gave a covert nod to her father, and he clenched her arm tightly. The walk down the aisle went down without a hitch, and Temperance was relieved- she was afraid she was going to trip on the long train of the dress.

The procession ended and Booth stepped across from her, the preacher behind them. Temperance got an overwhelming sense of déjá vu from Angela and Hodgins's wedding, though she hoped that her nuptials to Booth would go a little bit more smoothly. She wasn't married, as far as she knew…

All the people congregated in the small church were staring at Max, and the preacher had a quizzical look in his eyes. He repeated himself "Who gives this woman?", and Max blinked back a veil of tears. "I do," he choked out, and grabbed her arm even tighter. She hadn't even wanted to indulge in the symbolic gesture of being "given away", but when she saw how disappointed her father was, she gave in.

He was supposed to let go now, but he was still clutching her as if his life depended on her. He couldn't let her go. "You can let go, Dad," she said gently, and he released his hold on her, retreating to his front row seat, sobs wracking his body now. She couldn't believe it. She was really getting married.

"_You can let go now daddy_

_You can let go_

_Oh I think I'm ready to do this on my own_

_It's still feels a little bit scary_

_But I want you to know_

_I'll be okay now daddy_

_You can let go"_

_It was killing me_

_To see the strongest man I ever knew_

_Wasting away to nothing in that hospital room_

_"You know he's only hanging on for you"_

_That's what the night nurse said_

_My voice and heart were breaking_

_As I crawled up in his bed and said: _

Temperance had given birth to her daughter about a year later, and her and Booth had decided upon allowing Max to name her. The second he saw his granddaughter swaddled in the pink blanket, her mother and father glowing blissfully, he knew what to name her. Welcome to the world, Joy Christine Booth.

Max had always doted on his granddaughter, spoiling her like only a grandfather could. He was the ever-ready babysitter when his daughter and son-in-law worked odd hours, and that was the majority of the time. His pride at the woman his little girl had grown up to be only escalated as he saw what a good mother she was. But two years later, tragedy had struck.

Max had been sick with what he thought was the stomach flu, but it was persistent and days passed and his symptoms didn't alleviate. Temperance forced him to go to a doctor, and he was referred to an oncologist. He was immediately diagnosed with stomach cancer, and it had progressed to stage 4. Temperance had no idea that he had been suffering in silence all of these months, and almost hated him for it. The chance of treatment being effective at this late of a stage was very low, and the low rate of incidence in the United States had made the treatment hard to get, and not guaranteed to work. In other words, a death sentence.

It was hard for the two year old Joy to understand why Grandpa couldn't play with her, and why Mommy and Daddy had to go to the hospital all the time. All she knew was Mommy was getting sadder and sadder, and nothing Joy could do would cheer her up.

Six months later, Temperance sat in the hard wooden chair in the hospital room. Her father's cancer had since metastasized to his esophagus, and he was unable to speak. He had been communicating with a personal whiteboard for a month or so now, and he was being fed through a feeding tube. It wasn't very effective, however, because his bruised and battered stomach refused to hold any semblance of sustenance. As a result, the vivacious man she had known and loved had wasted away to little more than a skeleton, the pale skin hanging off his jutting cheekbones. The pain had gotten so bad that he spent most of the day crying out silently, his eyes closed and teeth clenched in an attempt to ward off the pain.

The doctors had finally come to their senses (with some prodding from Temperance, his obvious next of kin), and put him into a medically-induced coma so he could live out his last days in peace. The last thing he had written before they put him under was "I love you Tempe". Since then, Temperance had barely left the hospital. Booth had been incredibly supportive throughout the whole ordeal, always her constant, her rock. He was doing a fabulous job taking care of Joy and sheltering her from the whole thing.

Her new boss, Andrea, a forensic pathologist like her predecessor, had been very understanding in allowing her to take off as much time as she needed. Soon after their wedding, Cam had married her long-time boyfriend and they had relocated to New York to be closer to Michelle, who had a child of her own now. Angela and Hodgins had been great friends through it too, taking care of Joy, and exposing her to children her age by allowing her to play with Nicky and Joey, their two year old twins. They also had a five year old daughter, Alicia.

The doctors had called her cell phone a few hours ago when she was home getting a shower and spending some rare quality time with Joy. The little girl and her bounds of curiosity never ceased to amaze her. It was his lead doctor (the others were fellows) saying that she should alert everyone who wanted to say their goodbyes. She had called Russ and Amy, Angela and Jack, and told Booth to come home from work. The Hodgins had gotten to know Max very well over the past few months.

She picked up Joy, who contentedly babbled in her car seat on the way there, providing an excellent distraction to keep Temperance's mind off her father. She was the first one to arrive, and on the way in, the night nurse, Paige, stopped her. "He's only hanging on so he can see you one last time, you know." She whispered. A tear came to Temperance's eye at the sight of her father hooked up to all those machines. She had avoided the hospital like the plague, not wanting to see him in this horrible condition. This was one thing Temperance was unable to compartmentalize, to rationalize.

He barely took up half the hospital bed in his emaciated state, and she crawled up next to him, stroking his hand. Tears flowed freely down her face, and Joy was being oddly quiet in her car seat in the corner of the room. She must have sensed the situation. Temperance's voice broke as she whispered in her father's ear "You can let go now, Daddy." The dripping of tears became a torrent, and she began to sob. As if on cue, Booth walked into the room, and put an arm around her, rubbing circles on her back. She collapsed into him, and he held her like that for a while.

Russ, Amy, Hayley, Emma, Marissa (their daughter), Angela, Hodgins, Nicky, Joey, Alicia, Temperance, Booth, and Joy made a circle around the bed, grasping hands, drawing strength from each other. The nurse made a break in the circle, and pulled the plug on the life support. The monitor stayed steady for a minute or so, and then he flatlined. They made a slow procession out, and spent the next hour in the hospital waiting room sharing stories.

_You can let go now daddy_

_You can let go_

_Your little girl is ready to do this on my own_

_Its gonna be a little bit scary_

_But I want you to know_

_I'll be okay now daddy_

_You can let go_

_You can let go_

Five years later, Temperance stood in front of a weathered stone with a bouquet of sunflowers and daisies. She had requested he be buried next to her mother. Together in life, and death. Joy, now seven and almost a carbon copy of her mother, except for her father's smile, is at her side. She has a son now too, a four year old named Max, for obvious reasons. Three months after her father died, she found out she was three months pregnant, and when her and Booth found out it was a boy, they had to name him Max. When he was born six months later, Temperance swore that it was her father that got her through the labor, despite the fact that Booth wanted to take all the credit. This is was a perfect example of the circle of life. Someone dies, someone is born.

Temperance had explained to Max before they came here that her father was his special guardian angel, always looking down on him and smiling. The little boy wasn't quite able to grasp the concept, but Temperance and Booth thought it was important for him to know his roots.

Temperance was pregnant again- seven months along with twins, and she looked ready to pop. She was going to be put on bed rest within the next week, which is why she wanted to visit his grave. Booth had asked to come with her, but she told him that this was something she needed to do on her own. Booth had accepted it and backed off. She opened her mouth to speak "Hi, Dad. I still feel stupid doing this, but it does make me feel better. I'm pregnant again, with twins, and Max and Joy are getting so big. Joy's skipped two grades already, and she says her prayers to you every night. I hear her through the wall. And Max is a little imp, and very much like you. I just hope he doesn't grow up to be a bank robber. I doubt it though- he wants to be an FBI agent like his daddy. Joy, on the other hand, wants to follow in my footsteps. She studies anatomy for a half hour every night, though I'm trying to make her cut down. And Booth's still an incredible husband, there through everything. I do miss you, Dad, each and every day. But Booth's been taking me and the kids to church, and I've converted to Catholic. Isn't that crazy? I never would've thought that ten years ago I'd be here. I also retired from the Jeffersonian- not because of my age, but because I wanted to be a good mother. So this whole Catholic thing, I believe that I'll see you again some day, and I can't wait. Until then, Dad." She finished with a sigh. Temperance grabbed Max and Joy's hands, and waddled back to the car. She was, and always would be her daddy's girl, whether he was there to see it or not.

**Wow, that was a lot longer than I expected. It just kept going and going. As always, review! I want to see if I should keep writing, because interest in my stories has been declining lately. Thanks for reading!**

**~Dolphinsramazing~**


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